Skip to content
sintropia.club
PT EN

Plants

watermelon

Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai

Family: Cucurbitaceae · Genus: Citrullus

Placenta I Ground cover No biomass production
Bernard DUPONT · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

Annual creeping cucurbit with large fruit. Embrapa CT-16 plants it in the planting holes of forest and fruit species during the initial agroforestry phase. 80–100 day cycle; fruits up to 12 kg.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta I
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Ground cover
Strata
Ground cover
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
6–7.5
Preferred soil texture
Sandy, Loamy
Hardiness zones
3–11
Frost tolerance
0.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
0.2–0.5 m
Recommended spacing
1–2 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Medium
Growth rate
Very fast
Lifespan
≤ 1 year
Time to first harvest
3 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Watermelon takes the Ground cover stratum in the Placenta I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

Design my guild

Free account — and the catalog stays open, no sign-up needed.

Emergent High Medium Low Ground cover · ≈1 m

🪴 Cultivation

Annual vine of African origin whose runners spread several metres. Prefers organic-rich sandy to sandy-loam soil and a very sunny position; drought-resistant once established but intolerant of waterlogged soil. Develops a taproot reaching about 1 m with extensive horizontal laterals in the topsoil. Harvest in 80–110 days; frost-tender (killed at 0 °C).

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of watermelon?

The first harvest of watermelon comes around 3 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for watermelon?

The recommended spacing for watermelon is 1–2 m.

How tall does watermelon grow?

At maturity, watermelon reaches 0.2–0.5 m tall.

What stage and stratum does watermelon occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, watermelon belongs to the placenta i stage, occupying the ground cover stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Armando, Bueno, Alves & Cavalcante (2002) — Embrapa Circular Técnica 16, Etapa 4 (gotsch_stage, primary_stratum)
  2. Useful Tropical Plants — Citrullus lanatus (ph_min, ph_max, waterlogging_tolerance, drought_tolerance, time_to_first_harvest_months, soil_texture_preference, light_need, cultivation_notes)
  3. Weaver & Bruner (1927), Root Development of Vegetable Crops — watermelon root habit (root_system, root_depth, cultivation_notes)
  4. University of New Hampshire Extension — How to grow watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) (hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, frost_tolerance_c)

External references

Continue exploring

Related plants